Family Reunions
by MBrabs1996
Summary: Maria and Steve are facing their biggest challenge in their relationship. Surviving a family reunion with Maria's family. When there's a ruthless aunt who will stop at nothing to tear you down, it's hard to do just that. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, so if you've read my story, "Dark Labyrinth" then in it, they mention Maria, Steve, and Maria's sister, going to a family reunion. Well, this is that story I said i'd write about just that. Don't worry though. I'll update Dark Labyrinth later this week.**

Maria sat in the passenger seat of Steve's truck as he drove along the suburban New York back roads. Maria and Emily both got tricked into attending a family reunion, so they forced Steve to attend as well.

Although Maria and Danny grew up in Chicago, and Emily spent the first eight years of her life there, they were heading to a small town just two hours away from New York City. New York was where her fathers family was from, and her mother's family was from the west.

"So, who's who? Just so i'm not confused when I get there and know everyone's names." Steve asked, looking at Maria and then at Emily in the rear view mirror.

Their father and older brother had left the morning before, so Emily had to drive down with Maria and Steve since she had school when Danny and John left.

"Well, both sides will be there. My dad's side and my mother and Diana's side. From my dad's side, theirs too many family members to even list, but only the immediate family members will be there. The others don't really talk to us."

"Why?"

"There was a huge argument and now they don't really like us. I still invited them to the wedding and they're still invited to the reunion, it's just a matter of if they'll show up." She said, not really bothered by it.

"So what's everyone like?"

"Well, you know about our Aunt Shawna and Alexa, there's Jaqueline, our cousin that's my age. She seems very stuck up and snobbish, but she's just quiet. I believe her boyfriend Kyle will also be there. There's her older sister, Melanie, who is the exact opposite. We hate her. She's very...out there...so to speak. She's also a pothead along with some other things that I shouldn't mention around Emily...or you. She doesn't seem like any of those things, but she is. There's our other cousin, Kali, who's eighteen."

"What's she like?" Steve asked, briefly looking at his fiancée.

"Shy and Quiet. The total opposite of Emily."

"Kali isn't going to be at the reunion, Maria."

"Why not?"

Emily shrugged, "Dad said it was because her husband was sick and she doesn't want to leave him by himself. Especially so close to Christmas. Melanie won't be there either from what dad claimed."

"Oh yeah. Kali is married."

Steve looked at Maria in shock, "At eighteen?"

"Yeah. The women in our family get married pretty young. Her husband is a great guy from what I was told. Why are you so shocked? Don't you come from a time where women got married off young?" She teased.

"Yeah, but times are different now. I didn't think that people were still marrying so young."

Maria chuckled, "Anyway, there's Elsa, who's five, a few years older than Alexa. My dad's brother, David, will be there and his girlfriend Cathy. Then there's Shawna's husband, Darren. That's it from my dad's side. Now from my mother and Aunt Diana's side_"

"Aunt Diana? Your step-mother was your aunt?" Steve asked, cutting her off.

Maria sighed, "Yes. My Aunt Diana was around thirteen when my mom died. My own mother was twenty-five."

"So...did Diana and your dad, at that time, ever..."

"Not until Diana was sixteen did they really start dating. It wasn't until she was eighteen, that she and my dad got married. Not much older than Emily."

"Yes our family is screwed up. But, if it makes you feel any better, our dad was only twelve years older than my mom. Which is also why he can't say something if I date an older guy because he married a much younger woman. Loopholes."

"So, who else?" Steve asked, getting uncomfortable.

"My grandmother, Patty, is eighty-three, and she's a sweetheart. My aunt Karen and aunt Kelly are very...eccentric. Then there's Erin and Brinley. My twelve-year-old twin cousins. Their parents won't be able to make it, but they'll be there." Maria answered as they turned into a long, winding, driveway.

* * *

The house was old and had multiple floors from what Steve could see as he parked the truck in front of the garage.

"You and Emily can go inside. I'll get our bags." He said as they all got out of the truck.

"Yeah. We must prepare them for the arrival of the great Captain America. They don't know it's you, all they know from what dad told them is that Maria is engaged "to a nice guy named Steve." So it'll be a good surprise for them," Emily started as Steve took a sip from the water bottle he had with him, "Oh and Maria, everyone may or may not think you're pregnant."

Maria turned to her sister and gave her a stern look as Steve nearly choked on his water.

"What the hell did you tell them?"

"I didn't tell them anything! Dad told our Uncle that you were engaged about a week ago and he was on speaker. Then our Aunt Shawna cut in to say that you guys were probably getting married because you were pregnant. Dad didn't really say anything to deny it."

Maria rolled her eyes and sighed, "That's just great." She said, grabbing her computer bag as Emily grabbed her own bag and they went inside.

The first thing they saw when they walked in was their Aunt Shawna.

And she wasn't in a good mood.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review because they make me happy :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Woohoo! Two chapters in one day! You'll meet a few of Maria's family members and their reactions to Steve are pretty funny haha.**

Shawna sent a venomous glare in their direction, her brown eyes narrowing at the sight of her nieces, looking them up and down at their choice of clothing in disapproval. Maria was wearing boots and light blue jeans with a black, long sleeved t-shirt and a jean jacket over it. Emily wore a plaid shirt with dark blue skinny jeans and her black converse.

"Well, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show." She said bitterly, "You're late, but then again, why am I not surprised? Why can't your no good family ever be like Melanie? Or Kali?" She asked, speaking of her oldest daughter and their Uncle David's daughter.

"Well, Melanie is a slut and Kali is married at eighteen, barely out of her teens." Emily said slowly, not even trying to keep her aunt from hearing.

Shawna looked taken aback by what the teen said.

"Well, I_" She started, only for Danny to enter the kitchen and cut her off.

"Leave them alone, Aunt Shawna. They look fine and I'd appreciate it if you all kept your voices down so my wife and son could rest for a bit," He started, turning to Maria as she sat down at the round kitchen table, "Where's Steve?"

Shawna's interest was peaked at the mention of Steve, "Oh, was he the one that got you pregnant?"

Maria put her head in her hands, "I don't know why she thinks I'm pregnant." She said, just loud enough for Emily and Danny to hear.

"Well, if she is pregnant, this is the first time that I'm hearing about it." A voice said from the front door, the sound of bags being put on the ground accompanying the voice.

* * *

Everyone stopped what they were doing immediately. Jaws dropped and everyone was fighting for words that wouldn't leave their mouths.

"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" A man in his early fifties with greying dark hair asked, slowly approaching Steve.

"Yes, Uncle David, it's really him."

"Maria, sweetheart, you didn't tell me that _he _was your fiancé." Shawna said in a sickening sweet tone, "Now tell me, does she treat you right and make you happy? Or is she more like my good for nothing little brother?"

"The most important question is if he's treating her right." John said as he came down the stairs from the second floor into the kitchen. Maria was shocked at her father's appearance. He looked frail, almost as if he was sick, and looked like he lost a lot more weight in the twenty four hours since they last saw him, "And I can guarantee that he's treating her just right."

Shawna huffed and stormed out of the kitchen, pushing her brown hair behind her ear.

"Don't mind her. She's just jealous because you have the perfect life that she's dreamed of and she's going through a divorce."

"Uncle Darren left her?"

Danny and John both nodded.

"Yeah. And Jaqueline is taking her Darren's side but Melanie is taking Shawna's."

"Who wouldn't take Uncle Darren's side?" Emily asked, not even trying to keep her voice down as she crossed her arms, earning a few chuckles from various family members.

Maria sighed and went up the carpeted stairs to the second floor, which took her to another set of stairs that lead to the third floor.

* * *

The third floor was similar to a small apartment, and the beige walls were much different from the peeling peach walls that Maria remembered. On the couch to her right was a black and tawny cat, looking at her warily.

"Who's there?" A female voice said from one of the rooms, making Maria enter the one to her left to see another young woman, not much taller than herself, standing in view of a full length mirror. She wore a black dress that went down to her knees and black tights with her leather, black, high heeled boots. Her pale skin was almost glowing in the dim lighting as she turned to look at Maria.

"It's been awhile." Jaqueline said, giving the other woman a hug.

"Yes it has. I would say it's been almost twenty-years since we last saw each other, but that was as kids. I met up with you at that bar shortly after your divorce."

"Yes. And you set me up with Kyle."

"So, Jackie, how are you?"

Jaqueline shrugged, "Alright, I guess. Mom and Melanie have been unbearable. What about you? I know John and Daniel seem to be doing alright, but what about you and Emily?"

"We're doing alright. Emily is doing exceptionally well in school with the exception of a few fights, she's still pretty high maintenance, but she's a bit more mellow now. I'm engaged, so I guess that's good."

"That's right! Uncle John said you were engaged!"

"I invited all of you to the wedding, so why do you seem so surprised?"

"I never got an invitation. I told my mom to get the mail because I was expecting something from you and_" She started, only to cut herself off, "I'm going to kill her."

"Well would you like to know _who _I'm getting married to?" Maria asked, earning an enthusiastic nod and a 'tell me!' from her cousin. It was amazing how Jaqueline could still act like a child sometimes.

"See for yourself." Maria said, smirking. She enjoyed playing this game too much.

Jaqueline sighed and walked out of her bedroom to see Steve sitting on the couch and her cat lying across his lap.

"Is this some kind of sick joke!?" Jaqueline asked, raising her voice ever so slightly as she did a double take.

"That reaction never gets old," Maria started, sighing, "Jaqueline, you said that Shawna has been unbearable. Has she gotten worse in how she treats Alexa?"

Jaqueline's silence was the only answer she needed.

"Jaqueline, where is she?"

The other woman just nodded towards the other bedroom, their Uncle David's room.

The SHIELD agent slowly opened the door, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Alexa quietly sitting on the bed with Elsa, Erin, and Brinley.

"Steve, these are the twins, Erin and Brinley, Elsa, and Alexa."

The children looked up at the mention of their names, their eyes going wide when they saw Steve.

"How long is that going to happen for?" He asked, looking at Maria.

"Should wear off by tonight. Everyone just needs to get used to your presence. No one really expected that I'd bring you to the party."

"Right. Erin and Brinley, you don't remember Maria, but she remembers you. She's your other cousin and her sister, Emily, is right down stairs. And Alexa, she may not have met you face to face, but I've been sending her updates and pictures since you came here as a baby. And Elsa, you don't know her either, but now you can." Jaqueline explained to the kids, "Now, why don't you go find Emily and give her a hug."

"She's the one sitting at the table with a mean look on her facial features." Maria said as Erin, Brinley, and Elsa gave her a quick hug before leaving. Only Alexa stayed behind.

The two-year-old was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, her silky black hair in a pony tail and her vibrant green eyes looked at Maria and Steve in curiosity and amazement.

"Hi Alexa." Maria said softly, holding out a gentle hand as she kneeled down to the toddler's height. Alexa slowly closed the distance between them, cautiously reaching out one of her tiny hands and taking hold of Maria's, hesitantly closing the rest of the distance as she climbed into Maria's lap and hesitantly wrapped her arms around her neck.

"That's the first time that she let anyone touch her since my dad left mom."

Maria couldn't believe how much of a strong attachment she already had to the little girl. Perhaps it was because she wanted to protect her as though Alexa was her own child. Or maybe it was because she knew what it felt like to feel unloved.

Whatever the case may be, Maria wasn't about to let Shawna hurt this little girl any longer.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! The faster you review, the faster I update :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. There's a lot of tension and some argument in this chapter.**

About half an hour later, everyone sat at the dinner table. The adults had their own table while the children had their own.

"So, I must ask, Steve, what_" David started, only for Maria and Jaqueline to grown in response.

"Please don't ask, Uncle David." Maria begged.

"He's gonna ask anyway, whether you're in the room or not. He asked Kyle the same question."

"So, what I was going to ask before I was so rudely interrupted; what are your intentions with my niece?"

Maria covered her face with her hands like an embarrassed teenager.

"You don't have to answer that, Steve." She said, still covering her face.

"Well, obviously i'm going to marry her, and we'll see how everything goes from there. We're not really rushing into anything." He answered, giving David a friendly smile.

"When will mom and Diana's side get here? I know Erin and Brinely are here, but where are the others?"

"They got a later flight. They'll be here tomorrow morning. Erin and Brinely got on the earlier flight and we picked them up from the airport on the way here." Danny said, gesturing between him, John, and Anna.

"So, what is it you do, Maria?" Cathy, a woman in her early fifties with greying blonde hair, David's girlfriend, asked.

"I work for the government, and that's actually how I met Steve." Maria explained. It was partly the truth. The other members of her family could never know she worked for SHIELD. Only her father, Danny, Emily, and Anna knew and she was intending to keep it that way.

Maria turned to look at John, noticing that he had barely touched his food. She looked at Danny, who gave her a look, urging her to keep her mouth shut, a look that Maria was wise to heed.

Someone tugged on the sleeve of her shirt, making her look down to see Alexa's green eyes staring up at her.

"Yes, Alexa, what is it?" Maria asked, sighing.

"Oh just ignore her. She just wants attention." Shawna said, glaring at Alexa.

"Just like she wanted attention when she broke her arm?" Maria said, making everyone's jaws drop.

They hadn't been expecting for her to go there.

"Yes. She decided I wasn't paying enough attention to her, so she went and climbed that tree."

That's bullshit Aunt Shawna and you know it."

"It's the truth."

"The truth? Alexa was eighteen months old! She didn't even know how to walk, let alone climb trees!" Maria snapped, getting up from the table and picking Alexa up before she whispered something into Steve's ear.

"Where are you going?" Shawna asked, about to get up and follow when she saw the other woman head to the stairs. It was silent until they heard the sound of running water.

"Is she going to drown her!?"

"I believe she's going to give her a bath, ma'am." Steve answered, trying to be as polite as possible."

* * *

Maria took off Alexa's white t-shirt and jeans, noticing the red welts on Alexa's legs and back. There was a bruise on her upper arm, indicating that Shawna must have grabbed her hard.

The SHIELD agent wanted to throw up. Seeing the welts that Shawna leaves on the little girl when she 'punishes' her brought back memories for Maria. Memories of her own father and Diana's abuse. Remembering the smell of alcohol on their breath as they would kick, punch, and choke her.

She sighed and began to wash the little girl. It was obvious that she hadn't had a proper bath in awhile. Dirt was coming out of the child's hair, making the water turn brown. When Maria's father neglected her, she at least had Danny to take care of her. Alexa had no one.

She had Jaqueline, but Jaqueline was a critical care nurse in the city, which meant that she had a hectic schedule and often wasn't home when Shawna claimed to have given Alexa a bath.

"When I try to give her a bath or feed her, mom yells at me and tells me that it isn't my job to take care of Alexa. I seldom get away with being nice to her and giving her proper care," Jaqueline said from the doorway, "When mom isn't around and i'm not working, I try and give Alexa the proper care that she needs."

"Isn't social services supposed to check in?"

"Mom is a master manipulator just like John and Diana were. On those days, she's overly nice to Alexa."

Maria sighed, choking back tears that threatened to fall, "It doesn't make sense. She treated all her other foster kids like they were her own. Why is Alexa any different?"

Jaqueline sighed, "I don't know. She was a great mother to me and Melanie. She and dad had already been having problems for several years. They started when Lilith came along several years ago."

Maria's head snapped up at the mention of Lilith, "Lilith?"

"Yeah. Blonde hair, blue eyes, was always happy and hyper, she came as a baby too. When she was three, they took her to another foster home. It wasn't long after that that Alexa came to us. I always wonder how she's doing."

The woman briefly looked at Jaqueline as she continued to bathe the two-year-old, "She's doing well. My co workers actually adopted her last year."

Jaqueline's brown eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yeah. The orphanage she was in burned down, then she came to live with us." Maria answered as she finally finished bathing Alexa and took her out of the bath tub, wrapping a towel tightly around her and carrying her down the hall and putting her to bed.

* * *

Steve found Maria sitting on the bed in their room with her knees up to her chest.

"Where's Emily?" Maria asked, not looking at him.

"She's sleeping on the third floor. Are you okay?"

Maria tried to choke back a sob, but failed, "No."

Steve was taken aback. Throughout their whole relationship, he had only ever seen her cry once, and even on days where she was on the verge of tears, she always insisted that she was fine.

"What's wrong? He asked, sitting down beside her.

"I was giving Alexa a bath and she was so filthy. She obviously hasn't been given a proper bath in awhile, and there were welts on her legs and back. She can't stay here any longer."

Steve sighed, "I know_" He started, only for his fiancée to cut him off.

"I know when we talked about it last month, even a few days ago, I was hesitant because part of me held onto the thought that maybe Shawna has changed. It's clear now that she hasn't."

"So, you still actually want to adopt her?"

"Just as bad as I wanted to when Shawna broke her arm. And now I want to just as badly after finding out that she was also Lilith's foster mother, and Shawna treated her just the same. She needs to get out of here."

"Okay."

"She'd be safer with the rest of us at the tower. I actually love her like she's my own, even if I only did just meet_wait, did you just say okay?"

Steve nodded, "Yeah, okay. She'll come home with us because I agree one hundred percent that she isn't safe here." He said, holding up a folder of papers.

"How did you get adoption papers?" She asked, taking them from him.

"Emily got them. Remember last month when you were in the hospital? You told Emily that if she didn't call the social worker to get the permission to adopt Alexa that she couldn't be in the wedding? You also used her crush on Sam against her."

Maria nodded.

"That's what Emily did. The social worker hates Shawna now, too. She just never had tangible proof that Shawna's an unfit foster parent. So, I figured we'll fill them out tomorrow and give them to Shawna to sign over her rights. Either tomorrow night or Christmas morning. A Christmas present of sorts."

Maria was speechless, "Steve, I_ have I told you how much I love you?"

Steve laughed, "You tell me a lot, but I wouldn't mind hearing you say it again."

Maria rolled her eyes and got up, pulling Steve up with her so she could wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss.

Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! So here's the next chapter! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was at work from 10-5 and was super tired when I got home.**

Maria awoke the next morning with someone roughly shaking her shoulder.

"Fuck off." She groaned, trying to swat the person away with her hand.

"Maria, Natasha's on the phone!" Emily snapped, finally managing to wake her older sister.

Maria sighed and took the phone from Emily, in no mood for any of this crap. If Natasha was calling her because of problems at work, then she was going to scream.

"Someone better be dying." She answered groggily as she got up to enter the bathroom, carefully shutting the door behind her as she listened to what Natasha had to say.

"Wow. I never thought i'd see the day where the Black Widow is afraid of hospitals and doctors." She said sarcastically before Natasha almost started yelling at her for the comment.

"Okay, well are you pregnant? That would explain why you're throwing up all of s sudden."

Natasha told Maria that she would call her right back as soon as Maria said that and hung up, not giving her friend a chance to reply.

Maria sighed and left the bathroom, grabbing the folder of adoption papers and beginning to fill out her portion of them. She continued to fill them out for fifteen minutes until she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her.

"You know how I feel about you sneaking up on me." She said, turning and giving him the papers so he could fill out his portion as she went downstairs.

* * *

Shawna was making breakfast and David sat at the table with Erin and Brinley, and Cathy was helping her.

"What are you making?" She asked, sitting at the table next to the twins.

"Pancakes. Would you like some?" Shawna asked, actually being pleasant this morning.

"I would if they didn't have nuts in them. Thanks for the offer, though." Maria said, sighing. It had been so long since any of them saw her that they forgot about her nut allergy, or Shawna didn't know about it, so Maria was going to let that one slide.

"You don't like nuts, Maria?" Erin asked, raising an eye brow at her cousin.

"No, i'm allergic to nuts."

"So does that mean your throat will close up if you have any? What kinda nuts?" Brinley asked.

"Just peanuts, but Steve and all our friends and the people we work with assume that i'm allergic to all types. Which is why if they see me with a jar of Nutella or any nut besides peanuts, they take it away from me." Maria explained as Steve came into the kitchen.

"Shame on you, Steve!" The twins said simultaneously, confusing him as Emily walked past him and sat at the table.

"I can make some pancakes without the nuts that you and Emily can eat." David offered, knowing Emily was also allergic to nuts.

"No, that's fine. We'll just eat some cereal instead."

"Who puts peanuts in pancakes anyway?" Emily asked, making a face in disgust, "What kind of cereal do you have?"

"There's Captain Crunch, Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms_" Cathy started, only to be cut off by Emily's squeal of delight as she went for the Captain Crunch, "And for healthier options, we have Cheerios and Special K." She added as the doorbell rang.

Shawna left Cathy in charge of the pancakes as she went to go answer the door, opening it to reveal the other side of the family, "Hello, how are you guys doing today? It's a pleasure to see all of you again, please come in!" Shawna said, being overly nice as she invited the other group of people in. There was an old woman followed by two younger women and two men.

"Now, are those my other beautiful granddaughters? It's been so long!" The woman said, smiling at Emily and Maria as they got up to hug her.

"Yes grandma. It's us."

"Maria, you look so much like your mother, and I bet Daniel does too. And Emily_"

"I swear if someone tells me I look like the drug addicted woman that everyone calls my mother, i'm going to scream."

"Actually, I was going to say that you've grown into a beautiful young lady. When I first walked in, I could've sworn that you were Maria's twin."

Emily sighed, "Well, telling me that I look like Maria would imply that I was beautiful, just like she is, which i'm clearly not. She's the prettier one." The teen said, taking her bowl of cereal and leaving the kitchen.

"Now Maria, who is this handsome young man that you're hiding from us?"

"Well grandma, this is my fiancé, Steve. Steve, this is my grandmother Patty, my aunts Kelly and Karen, and my Uncles Mike and Mark." Maria introduced them as John, Danny, and Anna entered.

"Jonathan! You got skinny!"

"Thanks, Kelly. As if I didn't already know that." John said bitterly, giving a friendly smile as Danny and Anna hugged them.

"So, where's this baby of yours that John told us about?" Karen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He hasn't woken up yet. He's slowly starting to sleep longer."

"Yes, he's sharing a room with Elsa. They should be waking up soon." Anna said, nodding her head for them to follow her so she could show them where to put their things.

Steve looked at Maria, "You didn't tell me about your uncles."

"Oh yeah. They're both kind of computer geeks. My uncle Mark is into technology though. He actually built a car, if my memory serves correctly."

Steve gave her a strange look, "He built a car?" He asked, genuinely shocked.

"Yeah. A cobra. Me and Emily joke around that he and Stark would get along great."

"Huh."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Maria sat at the desk in her and Steve's room doing work on her laptop and emailing Alexa's social worker about what's been going on. Shawna had been being particularly generous to Alexa today, but Maria knew it was just an act. Everyone was either relaxing, drinking, or preparing Christmas Eve dinner, and all the children, minus nine month old Ryder, were playing in the snow outside. Even Alexa.

Maria actually couldn't wait to bring the little girl home so she could call Alexa her own and keep her away from Shawna. That little girl and Shawna were in for a surprise.

The next time Maria looked up, her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. Towards the woods, right at the edge of them, was a pond. Small, but fairly deep. The pond was frozen, but not frozen enough that you could walk across it; even a child could fall through the ice.

Alexa was playing on the dangerously thin ice.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update the last couple of days. On Friday I was busy, on Saturday I was at my volunteer job and then I slept over at my friends house.**

Maria immediately got up and grabbed her jacket and shoes, immediately going to the kitchen where Steve sat with Elsa, coloring.

"Why is Alexa on the ice?" She asked, sending Shawna an accusatory look as Steve shot Maria an alarmed look.

"What?"

"Yeah. Alexa is on thin ice. Someone should be watching her! You don't just let a two-year-old wander off!"

Shawna sighed, "Oh relax, will you? Alexa has played on that ice many times." She said, not at all phased as Steve got up, following Maria out the door.

"Alexa! Don't move!" Maria called, running as fast as she could towards the pond. Alexa looked up when she heard Maria's voice.

The little girl smiled and got up, standing on the ice that had already begun to crack from people constantly running across it.

"Don't move!" She yelled again, louder this time. Alexa still couldn't hear her and started walking towards the edge, to more solid ground.

What happened next happened so fast that they could barely react in time. Alexa fell through the ice, disappearing underneath the surface of the water. Both Maria and Steve dove into the frigid water, hoping to find her before she disappeared too far below the surface. They both knew that if one couldn't find Alexa, then the other would, and it would more than likely be Steve.

Maria couldn't see any trace of the child anywhere, and she had to go to the surface to breathe.

She broke the surface seconds later, gasping for air. All the commotion caused the other members of the family to rush outside, coming to the edge of the body of water. Several family members stood with a look of shock on their features, others were crying, but Shawna stood as still as a statue, her arms crossed and a stone cold glare on her face.

"Alexa! Steve!" She called, diving down once more, only to have to resurface. Her lungs weren't quite as strong as they had been before her bout of pneumonia the year before.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, Steve finally resurfaced with the little girl in his arms. Alexa was unconscious as Steve carried her out of the water, laying her on the ground as he proceeded to do CPR and for several minutes, it was silent until Alexa started coughing up water before she opened her eyes. She was in shock for several seconds until she finally realized what happened and started crying. Maria narrowed her eyes at Shawna as everyone, even the other children, began fussing over the toddler.

"What happened?" Mark asked.

"Yeah. One minute everyone was silent and the kids were playing, and then we heard screaming." Mike added in agreement.

"I'll tell you what happened. Shawna happened." Maria said, turning on her heel and walking back up to the house and storming up the stair case as everyone got back into the house behind her and Steve placed Alexa on the counter as Jaqueline retrieved her medical bag.

"She seems fine, just traumatized. We should watch her for secondary drowning." She said, wrapping a shock blanket around Alexa.

"Secondary drowning?" Karen and Kelly both asked, crossing their arms.

"It typically happens in children three to twenty-four hours after they have an accident involving water. Fluid builds up in the lungs and restricts air flow. It leads to suffocation. If she has a wet-sounding voice, lethargic, or has breathing difficulties, she needs to go to the hospital. So everyone needs to keep a close eye on her." She explained, looking pointedly at Steve as Maria came into the kitchen, slamming the files on the table in front of Shawna.

"What's this?" Shawna asked, brown eyes glaring at Maria.

"You should know. You had to sign similar papers to become a foster mom." Maria said as Shawna put on her reading glasses and looked over the papers.''

"You? You want to adopt her? What makes you think that you'd be a better mother? With that kind of childhood? You'll sooner turn into the abusive psycho your father was!"

That was a low blow. Maria and Emily's father wasn't like that anymore and everyone knew that.

"Steve wouldn't let that happen, and I would sooner die than touch a child like that." She said softly.

"Well, he'll no sooner leave you when he sees your true nature."

"No, Aunt Shawna. Maria is a great mother! Better than you, anyway." Emily said. She was standing between Danny and Anna, who looked appalled.

"How would you know? You barely knew your own mother. None of you did."

"I may not have known my own mother for very long, but I knew that she was a horrible excuse for a mom. No offense," Emily began, giving Patty, Karen, and Kelly an apologetic look, "She did drugs. She slept around. She abused alcohol! Maria does none of that. When Diana didn't want to take care of me because she was too drunk or too drugged up to give a damn, it was Maria who stepped up to take care of me. Just like Danny did for her."

Shawna almost didn't know what to say, "Your father told me about what happened between you and Maria over the summer. She hit you. You had a bruise on the side of your face for almost two weeks.

Emily sighed, "Yes, and she couldn't properly look me in the eyes for weeks. I shared information that she didn't want me to share, and was it justified? No, but until that point, she had not once laid a hand on me, and since then she has not touched me like that again. Believe me. When it comes down to it, Maria is a much better mother." She answered, defending her sister, who gave her a soft smile before turning to look back at Shawna.

"So are you going to sign the papers or not?"

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So here's the next chapter! Not much to say. Hope y'all like it.**

Shawna sighed and grabbed the papers off the table, quickly looking through them before she put them back down.

"Got a pen?" She asked, looking at everyone as John reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pen, which she took and signed the papers with.

"Once you find out what Alexa is, you won't be able to handle it. Even with Lilith. Once all of you find out what they are, you'll be giving them back to CPS." Shawna answered, giving the papers back to Maria, who passed them off to Emily so she could fax the papers to the social worker.

"Well, how about you two take Alexa and bring her upstairs and get changed into some dry clothes?" Patty asked, noticing that Maria and Steve were still soaked. Shawna went to go pick up Alexa, but Steve beat her to it.

"She's not your daughter anymore, Shawna. She's ours now." Maria said, having to remind Shawna about the papers the older woman just signed. It felt so good to be able to finally say that.

"I'll get her dressed." Anna said, carefully taking Alexa from Steve as she left the kitchen.

* * *

When Maria and Steve got upstairs, instead of getting dressed, Maria sat on the bed and put her head in her hands.

"Hey, are you okay?" Steve asked, tightly wrapping one of the blankets on the bed around Maria, "Is it about Alexa? Your aunt?"

Maria sighed, "Steve, what's wrong with my father?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Steve lied pitifully. He had promised John that he wouldn't tell Maria.

"Why are you trying to lie to me? You're an awful liar." She said, glaring at him.

"Maria_"

"Just tell me."

"Maria, I can't. I promised your father because he isn't ready to tell you and Emily himself." He said, sighing as Maria got up and began to get dressed.

"So that's how it's going to be? You're lying to me, your fiancée, for my father?" She said, nearly on the verge of tears.

Steve sighed as Maria put her tight, black dress on, turning to Steve so he could zip it up. Just as he zipped the dress up, he let it slip.

"Your father is sick."

The woman turned to look at him.

"Sick? What do you mean?"

"John has acute myeloid leukemia. He found out last month. That's why he's distancing himself from you; he wants to make his passing less painful." Steve answered, sighing.

"So you knew for over a month and you neglected to tell me that my father is dying!" She snapped, raising her voice softly.

"Well, when Gamora and Peter were here. They were with me when we found out. And I told him he had a week to tell you or I would. He told me he told you!" He said, unintentionally throwing them under the bus. He remembered that day all too well. Maria was in the hospital after an incident when Gamora's sister came to earth, looking for a necklace that Gamora had given to Maria a few years before when she had gotten on SHIELD's radar. By the time he realized what he said, it was too late for him to take it back, and Maria looked as though she was about to kill someone.

"And you took his word for it?" Of course Steve would, "And Gamora and Peter knew too?"

Steve hesitantly nodded.

"Oh the next time I see them, they're going to get an earful, but I can't believe that you of all people didn't tell me! I expect that from them, or even Natasha and Clint, but you? No matter what he's done to me, he's still my father, Steve!" She yelled, not giving him a chance to respond before she grabbed a pair of her tights and started to leave, but not before stopping at the doorway, "You know, if someone you cared about was sick, I wouldn't keep it a secret from you." She added before finally leaving.

Steve didn't have to be a genius to know who she was talking about. She had subtly mentioned Peggy, maybe without even realizing it.

* * *

Maria went up to Jacqueline's floor to let her know what was going on. Even though it concerned her father, she wasn't going to go to him and confront him just yet.

"Well, it certainly wasn't right for him to keep it from you, but you've kept things from him too." She said, giving Maria a knowing look, "You kept Emily a secret from him, the miscarriage, Emily's stillbirth. You're exercise...issues."

"I had reason. Emily has been to hell and back. The stillbirth she had at the beginning of her sophomore year of high school and the short period-of-time she slept around...it was her place to tell. Not mine. And hiding her from him? I wasn't going to let her meet a man that I wasn't sure i'd end up marrying. She gets attached to people too easily." Maria said. It was true in a sense. When Emily met someone for the first time, she would become attached to them. Not in a romantic way, but more of a, 'hey I like you so we're going to be best friends forever' type of way.

Emily had high-functioning autism and Maria had no doubt that it played a roll.

"Besides. When Emily had the stillbirth last September, Steve and I had just started dating. I wasn't going to tell him something so personal so soon. Yes, he eventually found out about the miscarriage just like all of our friends eventually found out about Natasha's miscarriage. He also found out about the exercise problems I had when I was a teenager because Emily opened her big mouth."

"Yes, but_"

"I know it wasn't right to keep those things from him, Jacqueline, but he lied about my dad being sick, which to me, is much worse. How'd you know about those accidents anyway?" Maria asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Jacqueline was about to respond when Alexa came bounding into the room as Maria gave her cousin a look that said, 'we're going to talk about this later.' before she kneeled back to her new daughters height. The little girl was wearing a red dress with a black ribbon around her middle and a red ribbon was braided into her silky black hair.

"Well, don't you look pretty tonight." She said, and Alexa shocked her by signing, 'you too' in sign language.

"I taught her sign language awhile back to help her communicate. Until she starts to talk, anyway. She's a remarkably fast learner." Jacqueline explained as she finished getting ready.

"Well, that will be helpful for when Clint misplaces his hearing aids since he's eighty percent deaf." Maria said, about to tell Alexa that she's being adopted, but figured that Steve would want to be there when Alexa was told.

* * *

They went down stairs with the two-year-old, stopping in her tracks when she saw Steve talking to Patty. When the super soldier looked at Maria, he looked increasingly distressed and looked as though he had almost been crying as he looked at her with his bright blue eyes.

This was going to be a long night.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long, guys! I've been really busy lately and just never had the chance. There's a bit of drama in this chapter!**

Maria ignored Steve for the whole night, which confused everyone. Several of the children had kept asking them if they were fighting, and Shawna had said some not so nice words to Maria about how "unhappy Steve seemed to be in the relationship." They were both fine that morning, and then Alexa almost drowned and now they weren't speaking.

"Hey, what's going on between you and Steve?" Kyle, Jacqueline's boyfriend, asked, handing Maria a glass of wine. Maria just glared at him, half expecting for Jacqueline to have told him about what happened.

Kyle sighed, "Well, what do you say we ditch this place and go to a bar with Jackie? Emily can come too." He said, shrugging. Kyle was a mechanic with a medium build and curly dark hair, looking to be in desperate need of a hair cut.

"Emily's sixteen."

"I know. She can be the designated driver."

Maria sighed, "I don't know, Kyle."

"Well, it's either go to a bar, make up with Steve, or deal with Melanie all night."

Maria just looked at Kyle, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Melanie decided to show up after all."

Maria sighed and got up from the table that she had been sitting at and went into the living room, her eyes scanning all over until she found Steve.

Talking to Melanie.

Melanie was a small girl, only five foot two and barely topped the scale at 100 pounds, which gave Maria a bit of an advantage. Melanie's blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she was wearing a tight black dress that was much too short for her.

She was laughing, her hand gently resting on Steve's arm, which made Maria even more pissed off than she had been before.

The twenty-three-year-old turned, her green eyes landing on Maria and walked over to where she stood.

"Maria! It's been so long!" Melanie squealed, hugging Maria, who tensed up at her touch.

"Where's Emily?"

"She's still getting ready. She'll be down shortly." Maria answered, moving to walk past Melanie to find her father, and when she did find him, she pulled him to the side.

"Dad, what's Melanie doing here? You said she wasn't coming!" She hissed, trying to keep her voice down.

"Well, if I told you that she was coming, you wouldn't have come. The two of you need to sort out your issues." John answered, trying to calm his daughter down.

"Well that was wrong on so many levels! You know how much Emily and I can't stand her! However, it's not as wrong as when you forced Steve to keep a secret from me."

"What are you talking about?"

Maria couldn't believe that her father was trying to lie right to her face. He lied to her a lot when she was a teenager, but as an adult? She just about had it.

"I know you're sick, dad."

"He told you?"

"I got it out of him. I began to suspect it, but Steve confirmed it. The next time that you have someone lie to me and Emily, choose someone that's good at lying. And no, Emily doesn't know yet, but she will. Tell me, were you just going to wait until you were admitted to the hospital or already dead to tell us?" She asked, glaring at her father. Some things about her father never changed.

John sighed, "I was pushing you away to make my passing less painful. I know that I was never a good father to you, but I didn't know how you would react."

Maria sighed and turned on her heel as Emily came down the stairs, wondering just what the hell happened. She was just as confused as everyone else as to why Maria and Steve were fighting, but she didn't know that it was partly because of their dad lying to them that caused the fighting. Maria came back to where Emily stood by the stairs, grabbing her by the arm and turning to find Jacqueline and Kyle, and the four of them left to go to a bar.

Maria could not be there anymore or she would do something that she'd regret.

* * *

It was almost two in the morning now and the party had long since ended when Steve received a phone call from Jacqueline.

_"Hey Steve, it's Jacqueline. So Maria and Emily are kind of...well...drunk. I don't know how Emily got her hands on any alcohol, but she did. Emily isn't too bad, but Maria is really drunk. Can you come pick them up?"_

Steve sighed, "Yeah sure. What bar are you guys at?"

_"The one on Main Street. You can't miss it."_

"Okay, i'll be there soon." He answered, getting up and quickly getting dressed, careful not to wake anyone as he left the house.

* * *

When he got to the bar, it took awhile to track down the three girls and Kyle. Emily was with Kyle, who was trying to keep the teen in one place. Steve told Kyle to stay with Emily while he went to find Maria and Jacqueline, who were sitting at a table on the other end of the bar.

Steve cautiously approached his inebriated fiancée. He had only seen her drunk once before and knew how unpredictable she could be.

"How drunk is she?" He asked Jacqueline, who had gotten up and walked the rest of the way over to him.

"See for yourself," She started, leading him towards Maria, "Seeing how drunk she is made me realize that she acts like every type of drunk person that I know. Emotional, truthful_" She added, only for Steve to cut her off.

"Violent?"

"Haven't seen her get violent, but I suppose there's_" She started, only to be cut off when Maria saw them, got up, and before either of them could react, slapped Steve hard across the face.

"...always a first..." Jacqueline finished her sentence, trailing off as Steve held the left side of his face. He had also seen her pissed off many times, but she had never hit him. He looked at Jacqueline before looking at Maria.

"Tha's what ya get. 'spose i'm only good for...cheating on."

Steve would have laughed under different circumstances.

"Yeah. She's convinced that you're cheating on her. Any idea why that is?"

Steve shrugged, "My only guess is that she saw me talking with Melanie, but nothing happened," He started, finally turning back to look at Maria, "Okay, Maria, honey, we'll talk about this in the morning." He added, holding out his hand, hoping that she would take it, which she did, and drunkenly stumbled out the door to Steve's car.

The real issue was how they'd get her to bed without waking anyone up.

Maria coming back to the house drunk, especially after signing adoption papers, wouldn't sit well with anyone.

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**

**P.S. Please don't hate Maria. One lacks judgment when they have too much to drink.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone! So here's the next chapter, and there will be one or two more chapters after this one! If you have any ideas of what can happen in those chapters, i'm all ears. Just leave a review or a PM with ideas!**

Surprisingly, it wasn't much of an issue getting Maria to bed. She had already passed out in the car after lecturing Steve about the importance of honesty in a relationship, much to everyones amusement, and Steve wanted to tell her that she wasn't completely honest in their relationship either. He decided to leave that conversation for the morning when she was sober. He quickly got her changed into her pajamas before lying down next to her and falling into a deep sleep.

He was going to have to do a lot of damage control in the morning because Maria would, without a doubt, feel absolutely awful.

* * *

When Maria awoke several hours later, she had a pounding headache and felt sick to her stomach and she looked like the literal definition of hell.

"Merry Christmas." Steve said, which made Maria painfully sit up and look to where he stood by the window. That was when some pieces from the night before came back to her. Seeing Steve talking to Melanie, going to the bar...hitting Steve...

"Oh shit! Steve , I hit you! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have...I just was so...that's no excuse...I feel awful!" She was about to cry. Would have too, if she didn't already feel like shit, so she just covered her mouth instead, "You probably hate me now."

The last time Maria had lost her temper and lashed out at someone like that was over the summer. Emily had overstepped her boundaries, and Maria had hit Emily so hard that a bruise had formed. Needless to say, Maria still hasn't fully forgiven herself, even if Emily has already forgiven her. She had run off and no one could find her for the whole day, until sunrise the next morning. Surprisingly, Emily had been the one to find her.

One thing that stuck out to Maria about hitting Steve was that Steve didn't hit her back.

"Why didn't you hit me back?"

Steve shrugged, "Well, many people think that hitting a woman back because she hit them first is justified. It's not. Besides, you were drunk and pissed at me for keeping your father's illness from you."

"That's still no excuse," She said solemnly, "And I swear that I will never hit you again, or throw things at you...sorry about that, by the way, and i'm not going to turn into_"

"Maria, don't," He started, knowing exactly how she was going to end that sentence. Whenever she lashed out like that, she became fearful that she would be an abuser like her father was, "I don't care if you over do it sometimes. You rarely drink and the last time I saw you this drunk was last March. Know how long ago that was? Almost a year ago. But we have more things to discuss...like the fact that you thought I was cheating on you with your cousin?"

Maria sighed, "Honestly, I barely remember that night, but I do think that came up, yes."

"Well, why did you think I was cheating on you?"

Maria shrugged, "Well, you were lying to me about my dad's illness and I saw you laughing with Melanie, it made me wonder what else you lied to me about."

"Maria, you know I love you. I wanted to tell you, believe me, I did."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because at the time he was diagnosed, you were stressed, you were in the hospital, you were stressed to the point that you weren't eating. I didn't want to make things worse and seeing you like that, Maria? It terrified me!" Steve explained. It seemed that was everyones reason for not telling her things. It was Emily's reason, Daniel's reason, Anna's reason...everyones.

This time though, Maria knew he was telling the truth.

"Okay. I guess that would make sense, and I believe you, it's just...let me tell you why Melanie and I don't get along. When I was twenty, almost twenty-one, I had this boyfriend. He didn't treat me right but he didn't treat me badly, either. One day, he tells me that he was going to ge out of work late. Weeks before that, he would tell me that he was going to "hang with the guys" or "see his friend", go into work earlier than normal, leave later than normal, et cetra. I went to surprise him at his place. I found him. In bed. With Melanie. Melanie was sixteen," She explained, sighing, "We had never gotten along very well, but I had never thought she would stoop that low.

"Well, I can guarantee that I won't cheat on you. I'm here to stay. Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but girls that do drugs and rely on others really aren't my thing. I prefer strong, drug free women." He said, sitting down beside her and putting an arm around her shoulder. Maria just smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which probably would have gone to his lips if the door hadn't opened to reveal Alexa standing there.

"Let me guess. Someone sent you up here to get us so we can open presents?" He asked, picking Alexa up as she nodded.

"Should we tell her?"

Steve nodded, and looked at Alexa, who was looking at him inquisitively.

"Lexy, how would you like to come home with me and Maria?" Steve asked, making the child's eyes light up like a christmas tree, signing something in sign language that Steve couldn't quite understand.

Maria chuckled, "Yes, forever."

Alexa just held up her arms for Maria, who took her from Steve, and the three went down stairs.

* * *

When they got downstairs, they were greeted by everyone else sitting around the Christmas tree. Everyone was still in their pajamas, including Emily, who also looked like hell. Her hair was unkempt and her eyes had bags under them, indicating that she hadn't slept very well.

"Finally! Now we can open presents!" Erin exclaimed as five-year-old Elsa ran up to them, making Maria put Alexa down.

"Present time?" Elsa asked, looking at all the adults, who nodded.

Alexa surprisingly got a good amount of presents, mainly new toys and some clothes, which was also what the other children and Emily got. Most of the adults got things like work clothes, jewelry, gift cards, et cetra. Emily also got a camera from John, which actually made her smile despite how she felt.

"Maria, Steve, and Alexa. Look at me." Emily said, aiming the camera in the direction of the two adults and the two-year-old that was sitting between them before going to take a picture of Danny and Anna with Ryder. Shawna was even decent that morning, and so was Melanie...sometimes. It was beginning to be a good Christmas, until Jacqueline, who knew a bit more about Maria's job than anyone else, opened her mouth.

"Maria, have you ever broken your hand?" Jacqueline asked, earning a warning look from Maria.

"No, but I have broken my arm, dislocated my shoulder,twice, broke my ankle, ribs, had a concussion, and broke my pelvis."

Everyone looked at them, shocked.

"At the same time?" Mark asked stupidly, earning a sigh from his wife.

"Hon, I think she broke them at different times." Kelly said, giving Maria a knowing look.

"Yes. Back in 2010 I was in a near fatal car accident in Los Angeles. Not really my fault...I just...you know...drove off a cliff...into a ravine...rolled over multiple times...and then I crashed through my windshield and hit a tree full force."

"I remember that! I was with you when that happened!" Emily exclaimed, "Well, not with her, but I saw it happen...so did Natasha and Clint and everyone else that was with us. She wasn't breathing for more than forty-five minutes. We gave her CPR for the whole forty-five, but when we stopped, we were trying to decide what to do, and then all of a sudden we hear someone coughing and gasping for air! She tried getting up, but then she was on the verge of tears and said, 'yeah. i'm not going anywhere for a while, guys.' it was kind of amusing...well, once we knew that she wasn't going to die."

"You must have been driving really fast to sustain those type of injuries. Were you in a high speed chase?" Karen asked, raising an eyebrow at Maria.

"Something like that..."

"Oh and Director Fury got an ear full_" Emily added, about to continue when Maria sent a dirty look her way.

"I told her she should have worn her seat belt."

"Well, Danny, the ironic part is that I was wearing my seat belt...so, Jacqueline, why do you ask if I broke my hand?"

Jacqueline sighed, "Because I did something to my hand and I don't know if it's broken or not...Yes, I know, i'm a critical care nurse and I can't tell if my hand is broken or not." She said, rolling her eyes at the look that Maria was giving her.

Maria sighed, about to say something when Mike started talking, "Well, let's go eat breakfast, shall we? We can take a look at Jacqueline's hand while were at it."

Everyone got up to leave except for Maria and Steve, who stayed behind and Melanie gave them a look.

"I have a present for you now." Maria told him, reaching under the tree and taking out a rectangular present with green wrapping paper.

Steve hesitantly took it and opened it to reveal a digital photo frame. The first picture was the picture that Stark took of them after their first date when he caught them kissing, and then it faded to a picture of them on labor day, which faded to another picture, and another.

"Maria, where did you find this? It must have cost a lot."

Maria shrugged, "It was worth it."

Steve gave her a kiss on the cheek before he reached back under the tree and took out his present for her.

"Steve, I told you not to get me anything."

"Well, if you get me something then i'm getting you something."

Maria mockingly rolled her eyes and carefully unwrapped the present to reveal a square shaped box, which she opened to reveal a sterling silver heart pendant with a diamond stud in the middle of it.

"Steve, it's beautiful."

"I knew that you would want something simple, but not too simple. Pepper helped me pick it out."

Maria said nothing, only hugged him and gave him a kiss before handing it to Steve so he could put it on her.

"Maria! Steve! Hurry!" Melanie called from the kitchen, making Maria roll her eyes.

"Is it too late to pull the pregnancy card? Because apparently they think i'm pregnant, so why not have fun with it?"

"Well, as fun as that sounds, I don't think that would help."

Maria groaned, "Fuck."

**A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry that I haven't updated in awhile! I've been busy with school and studying for finals, but I should be able to finish this story since i'm on break from school for a little while.

Maria and Steve stayed with Alexa and Emily for a majority of the day. Anything to avoid Melanie, who apparently hates children.

"So what are you two going to do with Alexa?" John asked, making Maria give him a look.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, when you both have to work, what will you do with her?"

"Well, we'll have our friends watch her and maybe even some coworkers that we trust. If we can't find anyone to watch her, we'll just bring her in with us like Natasha and Clint do with Lilith."

"Why not just bring her to the daycare that I work at? I could probably get you guys a discount or something." Emily said, shrugging, but she could tell how reluctant Maria and Steve were to send Alexa to a daycare.

"Well I can watch her. I watch your friend's kids all the time. What's one more?"

"Dad, you're sick. We can't ask you to do that. We'll figure something else out." Maria said as Steve handed Alexa one of her new toys, a stuffed giraffe.

John sighed, "Just because i'm sick doesn't mean that i'm incapable of helping you out if you need it."

Steve gave Maria a look that told her John had a point. He knew that she was still reluctant to let her father anywhere near the children after the years of abuse he put her through. She was about to say something when Erin, Brinley, and Elsa called them for dinner. Maria sat between Steve and Melanie with the intention of keeping them separated, and Alexa was sat to Steve's left. It was clear that the little girl was much happier with Steve and Maria than she was with Shawna, and Shawna seemed to be happy to be relieved from her duties as Alexa's foster mom and paid no attention to the girl.

Today was much better than the last couple of days, despite the fact that Maria and Emily began the day with some pretty bad hangovers.

"Hey Maria? I didn't do anything that i'm gonna regret later, am I?" Emily asked, keeping her voice low so that only Maria, Steve, and Jacqueline, who sat to her right, could hear. Maria just shrugged.

"I was more drunk than you were, so I have no idea."

"She drunk texted her ex just like every other drunk girl does at almost two in the morning." Jacqueline said, and Emily's green eyes just widened in disbelief.

"Please tell me you're joking."

Jacqueline just shook her head in response.

"Do I look like i'm joking?" She asked as Emily took out her phone to see which of her ex boyfriends she texted.

"Great. I texted Max. The only ex that i'm still friends with. Can someone please shoot me?" She asked, covering her face with her hands.

"Why not just text him and explain the situation?"

"I'm not good with feelings when i'm sober. Apparently I texted him that I missed him from what it looks like."

"Well, he was one of the few boyfriends that I actually liked."

"And that coming from Maria says a lot." Steve said, taking a sip of champagne after he said that.

Emily sighed, "Well, i'm freaking out right now, so if you would just excuse me, i've got to go fix this." She said, getting up from the table and leaving the dining room. Thankfully no one noticed.

"Should we tell her that she also made arrangements to meet with him and hook up?" Jacqueline asked as Maria started laughing hysterically.

"Did she really?" She asked, to which Jacqueline just nodded and tried to keep her composure.

"What are you laughing at over there?" Patty asked, raising an eye brow at the three.

"Oh nothing, grandma." Maria said, trying to cover her mouth and hide her laughter.

"Just at how Emily is being a melodramatic teenager." Jacqueline added, nearly spitting out her water as Maria mumbled something under her breath.

"Why is she being melodramatic?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She's having boy troubles." Steve answered since he was the only one that was able to keep his composure for long enough without causing suspicion.

"Well, as long as there isn't a repeat of the 'field of dreams' incident." Danny said, and Maria and Jacqueline completely lost it.

Oh, teenagers.

A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)


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